Shooting Star
by Wintermoth
Summary: When it happened, it wasn't really any sort of affair at all. (Part 5 of Starlight 'Verse)


**Post s3, pre s4. No spoilers for anything in between.**

**Beta'd by KryallaOrchid. ^-^ **

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><p>When it happened, it wasn't a grand affair.<p>

As a child, Rose imagined her wedding would be beautiful. She'd been like many other little girls in that way. She'd wanted a gorgeous white dress, flower girl, bridesmaids, a church, and a husband as handsome as she was beautiful. It wasn't something she thought of often but when she did, those were the constants. As she got older, she'd learned to lower her expectations on the dress (she could never afford something as beautiful as she wanted) and on the groom (handsome blokes weren't common on the Estate), especially after her relationship with Jimmy Stone. In fact, by the time she was over with Jimmy, her wedding expectations had dropped significantly. She wondered if one would ever happen. Then she stopped wondering at all. It wasn't an appealing prospect.

Then she met the Doctor and fell in love and she started to wonder again. Not all at once and not at first. She really didn't think of what it would like to be married to the Doctor until near the end of his Ninth life when Jack was with them. She'd only been nineteen, more concerned with whether or not the alien git felt the same as her, than what their future could possibly hold.

The Doctor didn't talk about his past. It was like pulling teeth to get details out of him, especially in those days. But there'd been one time, when he was all ears and leather and she a fresh-faced girl who wore too much makeup and liked baggy jeans, that he'd indulged her.

She asked if he had a family name. Did Time Lords even do family names?

He'd stopped, slowly met her gaze, and stared at her for a short while. She was just about to mumble 'never mind' and shuffle off when he said, "I was born a Prydonian to the House of Lungbarrow. Though," he added with a wry smile, "my House disowned me so I don't know if that really counts."

She hadn't pretended to understand what those titles meant but she had remembered. Over time, she'd managed to extract little bits of information. Some of it she had learned from the TARDIS itself during her time as Bad Wolf.

The Prydonian Chapter was the most powerful and among them the Doctor had always been a rebel. You could be married to someone outside your house but it had to be agreed on by both houses. Except on rare occasions, marriages were pre-arranged and entirely political. Husbands and wives were such by name only. Time Lords rarely took mates—ordinary Gallifreyans did but the Time Lords barely considered most of them to be people so it hadn't mattered much what they did.

They were sitting on the terrace of a café on some planet far from Earth, munching on sandwiches, and watching the crowds pass below, when the Doctor said, "It doesn't feel right."

Rose turned her head. "What?"

"Calling you my girlfriend, it just doesn't feel right. 'Lover' makes the whole thing seem a bit blasé. Partner makes it seem like we're coworkers. Plus One is…well, alright, I like that one, but it's not something everyone understands." He looked frustrated. "And I want them to. I'd like to just introduce you in a way that leaves no uncertainties on where we stand."

Rose propped her chin in her hand. "Is this about that pink fella earlier?"

"No," he answered a little too quickly. She raised her eyebrows. "Weeeeelll, maybe a little," he conceded. "I just didn't like calling you my _girlfriend_. It doesn't seem adequate."

"Is there an adequate word in Gallifreyan?" she queried.

The Doctor nodded. "A few. Not that those will do us much good since no one will understand them. Even if I told the TARDIS to translate Gallifreyan, all you'll hear are variations of the same words I just listed." He scowled in frustration and took an angry bite out of his sandwich.

Rose hummed then smiled. "Well, how about wife? That's pretty universal."

The Doctor stilled, eyes widening. He was completely frozen for a solid three seconds before he swallowed his food and squeaked, "Rose?"

"Reckon 'wife' would be good enough so long as I get to call you my husband."

He gaped at her. Smiling, she reached over, placing a finger underneath his chin, and pushed upwards. He closed his mouth, clearing his throat. "Are you…?"

She shrugged. "We've been married before, no big deal. We could get married now and make it count."

"B-but…Rose it's not…I mean…interracial couples…there are different customs and we haven't even really _talked _about the telepathic bond in depth or prepared—" It was funny watching him stumble over his words as his mouth tried to keep up with his brain.

With a small laugh, she pressed her fingers to his lips, silencing him. "I know. But that wasn't what I meant. You told me once that on your planet, marriage and bonding were separate."

"Because marriage wasn't the same for Gallifreyans and Time Lords," he corrected.

"Well who says we have to do it exactly like them or exactly like humans? If you want, later on we can plan a proper ceremony with customs from both our cultures, and we can do the bond then." She lowered her hand. "We'll invite Martha, Sarah Jane, Jack and the team, and anyone else we can think of. We could even find a priest if we want, although I'm not sure how many chaplains would sanctify a marriage between a human and an alien."

The Doctor swallowed. "That would…I mean…I think that's an idea to consider. But what would this marriage now be for?"

She shrugged. "Symbolic? Commitment? We already promised each other forever, no matter what. I'm yours, you're mine, we take care of each other. That's essentially all a wedding is. All we're missing are rings and titles."

"Gallifreyans don't have wedding rings," he answered immediately then seemed surprised at himself.

"We don't have to have rings," she placated. "I'm up for anything. Ring, necklace, anklet, bracelet, cuff—" She paused, wondering what else there could possibly be. "Piercing, tattoo, belt…"

The Doctor chuckled. "Limb fusion?"

"Well, maybe not that. What did Gallifreyan's use?"

He tapped his temple with one finger. "But I know some of them would exchange gifts as well. I once met a small clan of Outsiders whose married couples wore a special type of bracer since they were practical and easier to fashion than rings. Though, between you and me, I don't fancy walking around with one of those on my arms. Besides, no one would ever see it under this suit. Same with an armband."

Rose waved her hand dismissively. "We'll think of something. So…Doctor…you wanna get hitched?"

The Doctor cocked his head to one side and simply studied her for a moment. She resumed eating her sandwich, maintaining eye contact with him the entire time. She wouldn't press him. She'd already made her intentions clear and now all that was left was for him to decide if he was ready to take this small (in her opinion) step. Seven to nine years into their relationship, depending on the point of view, they were all but married anyway.

Then a smile drew his lips upward and he ducked his head towards her. "Allons-y," he murmured.

They didn't discuss a location or a specific day. When it happened, it would be spontaneous. They didn't discuss rings or anything of the sort. She knew the Doctor was going to pick the location (or attempt to) and she knew he would want to give her some token for the occasion. It was getting him something that was the problem. She wanted it to be a surprise but she only knew one way to acquire it and any help from him would give it away.

Thankfully, the TARDIS was ready to assist, directing her to the doors that concealed many lush gardens and providing her a basket for browsing. In each room she moved among the many rows, selecting the fattest, juiciest fruits she could find from all manner of flora. Every so often the TARDIS would warn her off of a particular fruit, which Rose took to mean they would hold no value. She hid the basket deep in her closet and waited until that night when the Doctor (under slight influence of the TARDIS) drifted to sleep in their bed.

The ship had retrieved the coordinates from the travel log and all Rose had to do was flip the switch that would allow them to materialize. The TARDIS landed softly, promising to keep the Doctor asleep while Rose slipped out with her basket of fruit, barefoot, only in her jimjams.

Falora, a planet of living flowers, the place where the Doctor had brought her and Martha on the day of their Midspring festival. At the end he'd presented her with a gift: Plyra Seut, as his people called it. A necklace made from a material that bonded to the first person it came in contact with. Indestructible, irremovable except by the person it bonded to. With it, she would never be without a reminder of him, and she could never have her TARDIS key taken from her. She would always be able to come home. The delivery was almost like a proposal and one the locals had not missed. They had received congratulations for the rest of the evening and neither had bothered to correct them.

It was the same village as the last time, but not the same time of year and possibly not even the same decade as they had visited, but their bartering system remained the same. With her basket she was able to trade for the necklace and had enough left over for a ring of a substance the jeweler had that would mold to the wearer's finger, adjusting in size as their finger did. When she explained to the jeweler the purpose of these items, he offered to engrave it for her. She chose the words carefully, wrote them down in English for him, and he copied each letter with the ease of an experienced artist.

She returned to the TARDIS with two carefully wrapped boxes. She hid them both in her closet, the ring box being shoved the furthest corner where it was unlikely to be found until she was ready to give it to him whenever they were bonded. She snuck into the loo, knowing she'd need an excuse to be out of the bed when he was inevitably awoken by the tremor of the ship reentering the vortex. When it happened, she waited two seconds before she flushed the toilet. Then she washed her hands and crept back out into the dark room. Sure enough, the Doctor was awake, but only just. He smiled sleepily at her and welcomed her back into the bed with a sweet kiss.

The following morning, the Doctor was not in the bed, which disappointed her, until he turned up with a tray of breakfast for two. They ate eggs from the same bowl and dueled with their forks for the last piece of pancake.

"Let's get married today," she told him in a hushed voice as he claimed his syrupy prize.

The Doctor was not against the idea. He didn't even protest, which lead her to wonder if he hadn't already made a few plans of his own. He disappeared to 'get ready', leaving Rose to prepare herself.

She went to the wardrobe room where she found a series of dresses laid out for her. They all had different origins, styles, designs, and fabrics but were almost identical shades of scarlet and orange. Rose wondered at the color choice and the TARDIS sent her an image of a young man about her age with dark hair wearing robes of the same color. Even though she'd never seen him before at this age, she knew she was seeing the Doctor. These were the colors of his people.

She spent a few minutes holding them up in front of the mirror and tried a few of them on. She pulled out her phone and took pictures of her three favorites and sent them to Martha with a text: _which is best?_

They spoke back and forth for a minute. Martha asked a few questions Rose wasn't ready to answer just yet, before finally deciding on the first one.

It was a one-shoulder gown made from a scarlet fabric she didn't recognize but was light and smooth like chiffon. The bodice was twisted, gathering beneath her left breast and held in place by a thick, light orange, almost golden, bangle. The skirt flowed past her knees with an asymmetrical hemline. She twisted from side to side, letting it swish around her knees. It was simple but beautiful, exactly what the situation called for. She chose a pair of golden sandals with straps that went up around her calves and fastened below her knee. She let her necklace hang over the dress, the key resting between her breasts.

It was right around then that she felt the TARDIS land. So she hurried to put her makeup on (light amounts, light gold eye shadow to compliment the bangle) and used her favorite hairstyler to get her hair into smooth waves.

Standing in front of the full-length mirror, Rose smiled at herself.

Rose dug the box containing the _Plyra Seut_ out of her closet and carried it close to her heart as she made her way to the console room. He wasn't there when she arrived and the door was open. She felt her breath catch knowing who was waiting for her just outside on the rocky, brown planet she dimly recognized. Stepping out of the doors, she gazed around curiously, wondering why he'd chosen here of all places. They'd certainly been to prettier planets.

But then a large creature, flat and gray, with a long tail very much like a stingray's flew overhead and she realized where they were.

The last time they'd been here, she'd been twenty and still so naïve. He'd asked how long she would stay and she'd told him forever as if it were the simplest thing in the world. To her, it had been. She'd believed in their forever because in her heart there was no other possibility. She was older now, wiser, and she knew there was no such thing. No matter how long they were together, no matter how fast they ran, how many times they laughed at fate, there would still come a day when their time ran out and their forever would be over. But until that day, be it a year from now or hundreds, it was her forever and she would make it count. Even if he outlived her by eons, she wanted him to spend them with the memories of their time together and without regret that they hadn't made the most of it.

The large creatures flew peacefully overhead, calling to each other, and the sun shined brightly in the southern sky, gradually drifting downwards towards the horizon. She found her Time Lord waiting for her at the edge of a plateau overlooking a valley of rocks and water with the sun casting a shadow on his back. He was wearing his black suit and his hair was as wild as ever but instead of trainers he wore a pair of strapping black boots. He heard her approaching and turned with a smile that immediately went slack as he took her in.

Rose looked down at herself shyly, adjusting her grip on the box, which she held firmly behind her back.

"R-Rose… those colors…"

"They were yours, yeah?" she glanced up. "The TARDIS told me."

"You look beautiful," he told her breathlessly.

She didn't make her usual 'for a human' retort. She knew what he meant.

The Doctor held his hand out to her and she closed the remaining distance between them. When they were face to face, she pulled the box from behind her back and held it out to him. He used his free hand to open the lid…and then stopped. Stared.

"I wanted you to have something no one could ever take from you," she told him softly. "And it matches mine."

The Doctor chuckled and leaned forward as if to kiss her but stopped himself. He pulled the necklace from its box, giving it a moment to identify him, then released her hand to part the chain and refasten it behind his neck. He tucked the box in his jacket pocket for safekeeping. Then, from his other pocket, he drew a tiny bundle wrapped in midnight blue velvet, tied by a thin silver string. Rose carefully pulled the knot free and peeled the velvet away from the object within.

It was a medallion small enough to fit in her palm, made of a shining material reminiscent of white gold. Set in the middle was a deep red jewel. Around the jewel were elegant symbols—Circular Gallifreyan. Before her eyes, the symbols shifted, twisting and reshaping into words she could understand.

_I give thee my hearts for all eternity, my love, and thy heart shall always be safe with me_

She ran her fingers across the words and as her fingers passed over them they returned to Circular Gallifreyan. Rose lifted her head. The Doctor was smiling tenderly, his eyes full of emotions she wasn't sure he could ever vocalize. Wordlessly, she reached behind her neck and undid the chain. She held an end up for him and he slipped the chain through the hole at the top of the medallion, holding it aloft as she refastened the chain, before slowly lowering it to her chest.

"So does this make you my husband now?" Rose breathed.

"Dunno. Does this make you my wife?" he countered.

Rose smiled, leaning forward to bump his nose with her own. "Yes."

"Then yes," he replied. The Doctor tilted his head, lips meeting hers, and kissed her lovingly. One of his hands pressed against her heart and she mirrored the action with her own.

When it happened, it wasn't really any sort of affair at all. One minute they weren't married and the next they were. They didn't need any one to sanctify their union. For who possibly had such authority over the last Lord of Time and the Bad Wolf? Whose words held enough power?

When it happened, it was just two people, The Time Lord and his Lady, on a lonely planet with no one but the animals overhead to bear witness. Later they would have a ceremony, a day with friends and loved ones and celebration. This day was only them.


End file.
